About Frank Y. Sur

Frank Y. Sur helps companies buy, sell and finance themselves. As a partner at Gowling WLG working out of both Calgary and Toronto, Frank's days go to takeovers and other acquisitions, share offerings, investment funds and the general corporate work that keeps a business running. Three industries account for much of it: technology (blockchain and software among them), energy of the conventional and renewable kinds, from hydrogen to solar, and mining, with a focus on critical minerals.

Since being called to the Alberta bar in 2007, Frank has taken on several leadership roles at the firm. Frank previously headed its Corporate Practice Group nationally and now co-leads both the Korea Desk and the Calgary office's China Practice Group, while also taking part in the firm's FinTech, Hydrogen and Cannabis groups.

Plenty of Frank's clients are based outside Canada. Companies based in Korea, Japan, China, the United States and the United Kingdom, along with Canadian ones, have relied on Frank for acquisitions, financings, fund launches and strategic partnerships that cross borders, and Frank works in English and Korean. In November 2022 Frank gave a lecture in Seoul at the Business + Forum, an event run by KOTRA and CanCham Korea, pitching Canada to Korean firms as a source of the critical minerals that go into EV batteries, partly because of Canada's free trade agreement with the U.S.

In an October 2024 BNN Bloomberg piece on the Lundin Mining disclosure case, then before the Supreme Court of Canada, Frank's view was that the ruling could have a long-lasting effect on disclosure rules across essentially every sector. A client unsure whether to disclose would get one piece of advice from Frank: disclose. Best Lawyers has recognized Frank's corporate, M&A and securities work since 2022.

Practice areas

Public and private M&A

Frank handles acquisitions of both public and private companies, structured as plans of arrangement, take-over bids, share or asset purchases and reverse take-overs. That includes a seat on the deal team when a multinational oil company made a contested bid for a Canadian target.

Offerings and capital markets

On the capital markets side, Frank works on IPOs and private placements, has acted for underwriters on offerings large and small, and has taken capital pool companies through their IPOs and qualifying transactions. Advice on stock exchange listing and compliance comes with it.

Fund formation

Setting up investment funds is a regular part of Frank's work, including acting for a private mutual fund trust when it launched a nationwide offering memorandum.

Governance and commercial contracts

Frank advises on corporate governance, special committee work included, and on regulatory compliance, as well as on commercial agreements such as joint ventures.

Education & credentials

  • JD, cum laude, University of Detroit (2006)
  • LLB, University of Windsor (2006)
  • BA (Hons.), Queen's University (2003)
  • Called to the bar of Alberta (2007)

Publications & speaking

  • Business + Forum lecture on Canada and critical minerals, Business + Forum, Seoul (KOTRA and CanCham Korea) (2022)
  • Future of Energy Transition (keynote), Third International Conference on Geo-Resources Plant Technology for Oil & Gas (ICGPT 2022) (2022)
  • The Energy Transition and its Impact on the Legal and Regulatory Landscape, 28th Annual Conference of the International Association of Korean Lawyers (2021)
  • The Energy Transition and the Impact on the Legal Regulatory Landscape, LawAsia 2021 Virtual Annual Conference (2021)
  • Energy Industry M&A Update and 2018 Outlook, M&A Club Calgary (2018)
  • Mergers & Acquisitions Review: Planning a Private M&A Transaction (co-author), Who's Who Legal: Canada (2015)

Memberships & affiliations

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This listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on their firm’s website. Confirm Frank Y. Sur’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗

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